This recipe evolved out of reading recipes for Tunisian Brik – a delicious North African filo pie traditionally stuffed with raw egg and spices, and then deep fried. With many brik recipes out there, including Jamie Oliver’s use of sweet potato and others containing capers and rice, this is clearly a versatile dish which lends itself to personal taste.

The fillings are really up to you but I have opted for a sweet and sour mixture of sweet capsicum and tangy sauerkraut. The addition of tuna is a cheap, meaty extra which pads out the filling and gives it a subtle creaminess to balance out the sweet and sour flavours.

A real ‘fridge dinner’ this stuffed filo pie is the perfect way to use up vegetable odds and ends. I have an enormous pot of homemade sauerkraut in the fridge which I try to use in as many dishes as possible. Not only does it provide the sour tang that vinegar would often contribute, but it’s incredibly healthy and unbelievably cheap to make. As for onions and peppers, they are easy to find year round and neither are expensive.

In a medium sized frying pan heat a little olive oil over a medium heat. Gently fry the sliced onion and capsicums until soft (5-10 minutes) before adding in the finely chopped garlic, sauerkraut, tuna and chili powder and cooking for a further 3-4 minutes. Season to taste and set aside to cool.

Once the mixture has cooled take the first sheet of filo pastry and lightly brush with olive oil. Place the second sheet on top, smoothing out any air bubbles and brush that lightly with olive oil too. Fold in half length ways. Along the bottom of the folded filo sheets place a ‘sausage’ of the tuna and capsicum mixture and roll up into a cigar. Place this rolled cigar into a circular baking dish starting from the centre and coiling outwards like a snail’s shell.

Repeat twice more with the remaining mixture and filo sheets before sprinkling with black sesame seeds, brushing lightly with olive oil, and baking in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden.